By: Sam Johnson Published on The Daily Caller Where do you see this country heading, and is today’s America the kind of place you want to leave to your children and grandchildren? One of the cornerstones of our Republic, the freedom of religion, is under attack by a power-thirsty White House set on making and then breaking its own rules. This is not the land of liberty I know and love. Sadly, egregious violations of our cherished freedom of religion reminds me of the infamous Hanoi Hilton. Every...
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When people all across the world envision the Statue of Liberty standing tall on Ellis Island, a few words come to mind: America and freedom. There are so many freedoms here we sometimes take for granted – or even forget how blessed we are to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Like freedom of the press. Freedom of speech. Freedom of religion. The right to bear arms. The right to petition. The right to own property. The right to equal justice. In fact, our freedom is so centr...
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How will you celebrate this Thanksgiving holiday weekend? Will you travel to spend time with loved ones? Will you savor a delicious turkey meal with all of the yummy fixins? Will you watch football and pray for a Cowboys victory? Will you stand in line for the Black Friday sales at midnight? The wonderful traditions of Thanksgiving mean many different things to many different people. But it also kicks off a season of excess for some – too much eating, too much shopping, too many demands, too man...
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One of my key goals in the 112th Congress has been defunding and repealing ObamaCare. I am pleased to report that in just five months of Republicans taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives, two horrible provisions in government-run healthcare have been deemed so ugly and so terrible that they already have vanished forever. Yes, that’s right. Recently President Obama signed a bill into law that eliminates the onerous 1099 reporting requirement that would have created a whopping 1250% ...
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As you may recall, the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, a Washington research organization, announced last year that almost half (47%) of all households paid no federal income taxes for 2009. Either their incomes were too low, or they qualified for enough credits, deductions and exemptions to eliminate their liability. That’s not fair. Earlier this year, the House Republican leadership appointed me to an important post, the Joint Committee on Taxation, which includes the top five members of the Ho...
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As a U.S. Representative, part of my job is to serve as a voice for the Third District of Texas in Washington, D.C. Much of my time is spent listening to constituents, chairing and attending committee hearings, crafting legislation on a number of issues, and, of course, voting on bills. But a big part of my job happens right here in North Texas. The federal government is an enormous bureaucracy that is complex, confusing, and sometimes unresponsive. Many people dealing with the federal governmen...
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Ever since the new healthcare law passed, whether people love it or loathe it, there is one thing that draws unanimous consent: Congress must do away with the cumbersome 1099 paperwork regulation, a well hidden provision in the 2,409 page bill to help pay for the unprecedented healthcare expansion. Currently, IRS Form 1099 is used by free-lancers and by companies to document income for individual workers other than wages and salaries. Starting in 2012, this tax hike on doing business/ reporting ...
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The American people made it abundantly clear in November; they were fed up with out-of-control government spending and voted for change. Cutting back on wasteful federal government programs is critical to protecting freedom and ensuring national prosperity. In the last two years with Democrats at the helm of the House, Senate and White House, the 111th Congress spent more in its short tenure than the first 100 Congresses combined, adding $10,429 in new debt for every man, woman and child. It’s n...
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Though it is easy to spend the majority of the Christmas season preparing for the holiday itself - shopping for gifts, decorating your home and scheduling family time together - I hope you will find time to dwell on the “reason for the season” and to count your blessings. Between Veterans’ Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas I always reflect upon how grateful I am for family, friends, faith and freedom. As a 29-year Air Force veteran, I know how difficult it is not being able to share this time of t...
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With unemployment in America still painfully high, there has been a lot of talk recently about the best way to move our economy forward. The president has spent much of his time talking about his plan to pay for more stimulus spending by allowing massive tax hikes on families and small businesses starting January 1, 2011. This is simply the wrong approach. During August, I spent plenty of time talking to employers who after seeing all of the taxes, all of the ‘stimulus’ spending, and all of the ...
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